


Willows

by ceruleanshark



Series: Mae and Fingon [4]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Engagement, Fluff, Geese, I'm tempted to tag Manwe, M/M, Valinor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 12:32:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13434801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceruleanshark/pseuds/ceruleanshark
Summary: Maedhros spends an evening in Valinor and reflects on his engagement to Fingon.





	Willows

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to resist memeing. I really did. Blame the Silm discord.

The night air was warm on Maedhros’ skin as he perched on the marble railing, arm wrapped around a column and one bare foot dangling idly just above the brilliantly green grass. The slope ran gently down to a pond, surface rippling with the gentle breeze.

Maedhros’ hair hung in soft waves around his shoulders and torso. He ran his free hand through it, fingers catching slightly in the red strands. His hair had been short for far too long. The braids he had once worn were a distant memory, but a fond one.

Movement in the stand of slender reeds by the pond caught his eye. He looked up in time to see a large white bird waddle from the cattails. It looked at him with one beady eye, head tilted.

Several small balls of yellow fluff emerged from the reeds, clustering close to their mother, and Maedhros couldn't keep the delighted grin off his face. The goose had babies.

Maedhros nimbly hopped off the porch railing and made his way over to the geese as they foraged through the weeds at the base of the slope. His feet whispered over the soft grass, and the branches of the willow trees swayed in the wind. 

He dropped neatly to a crouch next to one gosling and extended his right hand, still marvelling at how smoothly his fingers extended and the simple feeling of having living flesh at the end of his arm. His prosthetic had been a wonder, but nothing could compare to the real thing.

“Hi.” He said softly, smiling at the gosling. The yellow ball of down extended its neck, reaching for his hand curiously. The dark eyes gleamed. 

Maedhros making a soft clicking noise with his tongue, wiggling his fingers. The gosling regarded him briefly, head tilted, before rapidly pecking at his palm.

He yelped and jerked his hand back, unused to the dull pain that spread through his hand where the gosling's beak touched. Maedhros stood up rapidly. Despite the pain, it was still a miracle to feel anything in his hand.

A sudden low hiss rose above the sound of the wind in the trees. Maedhros turned to see the goose, far too close for comfort, hissing angrily at him. His eyes widened.

“I wasn't going to hurt your baby.” He soothed, backing up slowly. The goose reared back and began to rapidly flap its wings, hiss rising in volume. Maedhros instinctively raised his hands between himself and the goose. “It's alright... good bird…” He kept talking as he backed up.

With a loud honk, it launched itself towards him like an arrow from a bow. Maedhros did what any sensible elf would do and ran.

His long legs carried him easily over the gentle slope, towards a slender willow tree. As the goose closed in, he took a flying leap and seized a low-hanging branch. The goose hissed again, pecking at his feet as he tucked his legs up and wrapped them around the branch.

Maedhros scrabbled at the thin bark in an attempt to haul himself up. His hand skidded as a section of bark fell away, and he nearly plummeted back to earth. As he recovered and clung desperately to the branch, he heard laughter over the hissing.

Fingon stood on the porch , nearly doubled over with mirth. Maedhros glared at him, muscles quivering with the effort of keeping himself in place. “Findekano, if you don't get over here and chase off this damned bird, I swear…”

“No oaths, Mae.” Fingon chided through gales of laughter. Nerdanel stepped onto the porch just as Maedhros swore viciously at him.

“Maedhros, don't use such language.” Her eyes gleamed with humor and she skilled despite her scolding words. Maedhros made an indignant noise deep in his throat and hung on tighter, hooking one leg clumsily over the branch. Below him, the goose honked and flapped, nipping at his leg.

Nerdanel stepped easily off the porch and sprinted towards the goose. It abruptly broke off its attempts to reach Maedhros and darted towards the water, honking indignantly as Nerdanel chased it. It slid into the water, followed by the goslings.

“Thanks.” Bits of bark and dirt rained down as Maedhros eased off the branch. He groaned as he dropped down beside his mother. Nerdanel grinned cheekily. “Settling back in, I see? Befriending the local wildlife?”

Maedhros brushed off his clothes. “I tried, ammë.” He turned to Fingon. “And you need to stop laughing!” At this, Fingon smirked. “You going to come over here?”  
Maedhros returned his smirk. “Maybe I am.” He ran towards Fingon, who broke into a fresh peal of laughter and dashed away.

Nerdanel grinned broadly as she watched her eldest son chase Fingon across the grassy slopes, both of them laughing and looking truly carefree for the first time in far too long. She turned and walked inside, glad to have returned Maedhros’ ring to him. They deserved an eternity of this happiness.

In the field, Maedhros closed the distance between himself and Fingon with long strides, crossing a patch of clover in one step. They approached the crest of a steep hill, the broad grassy slopes looming over a grove of willows. The trailing leaves obscured the view past the trees.

Maedhros turned to stay on the crest of the hill. Fingon, turning swiftly, was able to keep ahead of him--until a misstep forced him to slow to avoid a headlong fall.

They crashed together, Maedhros unable to stop in time. With twin yelps of shock, they rolled down the hill together. Sky and trees and earth seemed to meld together into a blur as they fell down the steep slope.

They landed hard in the pillowy grass and soft pale lavender blossoms at the bottom, pushing through the willow leaves. Fingon grunted at the impact and began to pull away from Maedhros, gingerly disentangling their limbs. Maedhros lay still, breathing hard, as he looked around the glade.

The night was warm, and the stars glowed in the sky with a brilliance Maedhros could scarcely remember. Their cold light illuminated the slender trees and marble statues of the glade, all strange yet familiar.  
“It's beautiful.” Fingon said softly. “I think some of those statues are your mother's work.” Maedhros nodded silently. No other had such talent for coaxing life from stone with nothing but her tools.

Maedhros sat up slowly, wincing at a faint pain in his ribs. Fingon frowned. “The fall didn't hurt you, did it?” He asked, brow furrowed in concern. “I'm fine.” Maedhros smiled, taking Fingon's hand.

Fingon curled up silently amongst the sweet-smelling flowers and rested his head on Maedhros’ chest. It had once been a familiar position for them, before they had been separated by the war.

He had been in the void for far too long, and his awakening that morning still felt like a mere dream. Even now, with grass stains on his clothes and Fingon lying warm against him, he still felt light-headed and a little dizzy. It could almost be another of the fever dreams he had suffered frequently in the void. Any moment, he could open his eyes and be back in the infinite darkness and silence.

Then Maedhros shook his head. This could not be a dream had by one in the void. Such dreams were never blissful.

“I've been meaning to ask you. How long did you have that ring for?” Fingon interrupted his thoughts by snuggling closer, Maedhros’ hair brushing his cheek.

“Since before the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. I meant to give it to you so many times, but I never could.” Maedhros said. Fingon frowned against his chest. “Why couldn't you, my love?”

Maedhros exhaled slowly. “Many reasons. The war, the judgements of others, our families. It was never the right time.” 

“I understand. Do you regret waiting?” He asked. Maedhros toyed with the golden ribbons in his braids, feeling the softness of the dark hair. Fingon adjusted his position, resting more comfortably against Maedhros. The flowers brushed his bare legs, tickling slightly.

“I'm not sure.” Maedhros confessed after several moments of thought. His brow furrowed. “I've always known I loved you. There were times when I was sure of nothing else, to be truthful.” He brushed Fingon’s hair back and continued, tone low.

“I wasn’t ready for a marriage. It was too early. I would have rushed into it had I been given the chance. I was young, and impulsive.” He smiled at him sadly, hands continuing to tangle in the black hair.

Fingon sighed, the sound almost lost to the breeze winding through the willows. “For years I have known you were the only one for me.” He whispered, lips brushing the tip of Maedhros’ ear.

Fingon abruptly leaned up and kissed Maedhros on the forehead. “I agree that the time was not yet right, but we are here now. We don't have to lead our people or fight in a war. Our lives lay ahead of us and they are ours alone to rule. We don’t have to be selfless anymore.”

Maedhros felt a shiver run down his spine as their eyes met. After all this time, Fingon could still make his heart pound and his cheeks flush with just a meaningful glance. 

“And after all we have been through, I think we've earned a little selfishness.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully this was okay! Reviews always help <3


End file.
